China suffers the worst brain drain in the world, according to a new study that found seven out of every 10 students who enrol in an overseas university never return to live in their homeland.
Despite the booming economy and government incentives to return, an increasing number of the country’s brightest minds are relocating to wealthier nations, where they can usually benefit from higher living standards, brighter career opportunities and the freedom to have as many children as they wish.
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences revealed 1.06 million Chinese have gone to study overseas since 1978, but only 275,000 have returned. The rest have taken postgraduate courses, employment, marriage or a change of citizenship.
Unlike illegal migrants from the countryside -- many of whom are poorly schooled -- the students are usually welcomed with open arms by western institutions, which gain high scholarship fees and academic excellence.
Britain has gone further than most to attract this pool of intellectual talent. Chinese students have been the biggest group of foreign nationals at UK schools and universities for several years. Last year their numbers increased 20 percent to 60,000.
The report claims the lack of scientists and research pioneers represents the biggest obstacle to China’s ability to innovate.
"This shows that Chinese students overseas, especially those with extraordinary abilities, are a real hit in the global tug-of-war for talent," Yang Xiaojing, one of the authors of the report, was quoted as saying in the China Daily. "Against the backdrop of economic globalization, an excessive brain drain will inevitably threaten the human resources, security and eventually the national economic and social security of any country."
To reverse the trend, Beijing is offering bigger incentives for returnees. Under new regulations issued in March, senior scientists, engineers and corporate managers are exempted from the household registration system (which determines various state privileges in China), allowed higher salaries and promised places for their children at top universities.
But despite these enticements, the problem may get worse. In 2005, 118,500 students left China to study overseas. By 2010, the forecast is 200,000.
Bai Xue, who is enrolled on a communication studies course in the University of Minnesota, says more than 80 percent of her Chinese classmates are trying to remain in the US. Her plan is just for a short extension, but she is keeping her options open. "There are a few of us who are thinking of returning, but nothing is fixed. If we get married or have babies or get used to the life here, maybe we will change our minds."
Xia Qing will start postgraduate study in California this September, but he is already planning to stay in the US for a few years after his course finishes.
"I am slightly hesitant because China is developing very fast and by 2030, its GDP will probably surpass the USA. But I am concerned that I might not get a good job if I return. America may suit me more because they judge you according to your ability, whereas in China your background and connections are more important," he said.
A survey earlier this year found that in Shanghai 30 percent of high school pupils and 50 percent of middle-school students wanted to change their nationality.
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
Deflation in China is persisting, raising growing concerns domestically and internationally. Beijing’s stimulus policies introduced in September last year have largely been short-lived in financial markets and negligible in the real economy. Recent data showing disproportionately low bank loan growth relative to the expansion of the money supply suggest the limited effectiveness of the measures. Many have urged the government to take more decisive action, particularly through fiscal expansion, to avoid a deep deflationary spiral akin to Japan’s experience in the early 1990s. While Beijing’s policy choices remain uncertain, questions abound about the possible endgame for the Chinese economy if no decisive
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following comments she made — in English — in which she said: “Thank you to Tiffany for bringing me to Taipei, because I do love this country very much.” Her remarks and the subsequent Instagram caption were reported in Taiwan, in Chinese and English- language media such as Radio Free Asia, and overseas,
China poses a dire threat to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as it steps up efforts to poach Taiwan’s top chip talent, following the US’ implementation of stringent chip restrictions. Beijing is keen to develop its own semiconductor technologies, leveraging skilled engineers from Taiwan, Europe and other countries to circumvent US restrictions on providing China access to advanced US chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence applications, as well as other chip technologies and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan has always contended with talent competition from China, but the situation is worsening. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that China’s ARK Semi and
RSS